Growing Up, Inside and Out

Kira Vermond

KIRA VERMOND is an award-winning writer with over 1,000 articles to her name. She is a frequent contributor to the Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Today's Parent, and the author of The Secret Life of Money: A Kid's Guide to Cash, currently nominated for the Red Maple Award. She lives in Guelph, ON.

Carl Chin

Puberty is something humans have gone through, quite literally, forever. But that doesn't mean the experience has stayed the same or that there's nothing new to say about the topic. Statistically, kids are hitting puberty earlier than ever. Current attitudes toward sexual behavior or orientation, body image, bullying, mental health, and a host of other related subjects are linked to the changes going on in kids' heads, hearts, and bodies.

While bodily changes are the most obvious signs that a kid is growing up, they're not always the first (or most stressful) signs. Why does it feel so weird to cry now? How can you tell if someone is really your friend? Is it okay to have a crush on someone who's the same sex as you? These kinds of questions (and answers) are what separates Growing Up, Inside and Out from other books — it tackles how boys' and girls' emotions change during puberty rather than just what happens to body parts (although that's in here, too).

And though puberty can often look different for boys and girls (growing facial hair versus getting a period), kids may be surprised by what all their classmates have in common: crushes, acne, anxiety, getting mad at their parents. Not only does Growing Up, Inside and Out break with the tradition of having separate books for separate sexes, it unites kids by showing them that there are things that everyone goes through.

Curriculum

Reading levels

"The author is refreshingly honest and reassuring about the anxiety that arises at this time of life." - Student Library Journal

a straight-talking guide to the roller coaster of puberty ... good humoured, conversational style and [an] abundance of great advice. - Quill and Quire, Starred Review

Parents, interested adults, teachers and guidance counselors...get this into the hands of your tweens and teens, and use it to begin talking about issues that may be difficult to explore. It is a great starting point." - Sal's Fiction Addiction (blog)